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Published: July 11th 2007
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This morning started like any other ordinary day...first of all I managed to block the sink when I poured my leftover cereal down the plug hole. Izzy then tried to unbock the sink, and pulled off one of the pipes (by accident). He kept saying, 'I'm an engineer, I know what I'm doing Chelle', and I kept saying, 'If you touch one more thing Iz, I'm calling reception!' Water was flowing onto the floor at this stage, and I was worried about the imminent plumbing bill.
Izzy did touch one more thing, so I got on the phone, and we soon had a maintenance man in our room, fixing the problem. Turns out the pipe was too short for the drainage (and there was cereal stuck in the elbow) but we didn't get in trouble. In fact, we got to move out of our tinier than tiny room, and into a Superior Queen (which we had actually paid for, but because of the mix-up, we got stuck in the double for two nights) and everything was sweet.
At around 10am, we made our way down to the tram car stop, and queued up for one of the city's
must-do adventures. These machines are amazing, and somehow manage to get up and down the steepest of hills. They were introduced to the city after a horse and cart loaded with people, took off backwards down a hill due to the steepness. Scary! I feel sorry for the horse!
The tram took us up, up up, then down, down, down to Pier 39, part of Fisherman's Wharf. This is a VERY touristy area of San Fran, so it was nice to be part of the crowd. Our first stop was the Boudin Bakery Museum. For $3 you get a very informative historical tour of the city, and the chance to view some amazing photos...definitely worth every cent! You also get to see the bakery in motion..and they make some really cool shaped breads. A cute little turtle was my favourite, even though they had a koala bear!
We also had a quick bite to eat here...the city's classic clam chowder in a sour dough roll. YUM! This is a great snack on a breezy, crisp day. After brunch, we walked down to the Maritime Information Centre, which currently houses a lot of the city's maritime artefacts. We had
a quick look around, then walked back to Pier 39, and the world's coolest arcade, Musee Mechanique. This place is FULL of vintage arcade machines, all in full use for a quarter. We tried a few different machines, including the singing Barber Boy Puppets and the all-seeing Wizard, who predicted my future quite accurately. We couldn't find the Zaltar machine, but this was just as good. The Musee is great value for money!
If you head outside to the docks, you can tour a submarine or a US Naval ship, but we decided to take a quick tour of Fisherman's Wharf itself. It is filled with shops and restaurants and we did catch a fire juggling act, and some sea lions. They must populate the area at a different time of year, as it wasn't as full as photos we had seen of the animals crowding the pontoons. We eventually headed to the next tram car stop, which would take us back to town. On the way, you can see some lovely, retro tram cars - very bright and noisy. They fit right into the atmosphere of the Wharf and only run down this end of town. The trams
from the city and back are more quiant, then bold and bright.
We had to queue for an hour at this tram stop, and finally managed to board a tram, and make our way up the hill to Lombard Street. This would have to be the most picturesque street I have ever seen. The view is amazing - to the left is Alcatraz, and directly down, and up the hill is the bay, and Coit Tower. The houses and gardens are charming...and everything was in full bloom. The street sweeps down, making seven or eight 40 degree turns, and is always packed with cars. We walked down the street, and then back up to the top, to get on another tram.
This car took us to Union Square, a small haven surrounded by the big names...Tiffany, Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci. We kept moving, onto Westfield Shopping Centre, where we grabbed some dinner and then headed back to our room. It has been a beautiful day here in San Fran. We only have two days left here now...tomorrow is filled with more local sightseeing, then we're off on a tour of Muir Woods and some Wineries. Enjoy the photos!
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Mum
non-member comment
Hi , Good to see your getting some nice fresh fruit. Got to keep the energy levels up. Great pictures. Have Fun. Love Mum